Saturday, March 3, 2012

Rush Limbaugh Apology Does Not Stem Calls for a Boycott

Under pressure due to adverstisers pulling their support, Rush Limbaugh offered up an apology that did little to appease critics. The apology appeared forced and insincere as it barely offered an apology, but instead a criticism of congress. CBS News reported on Limbaugh's "apology."

"The storm not only swirled around Limbaugh, he began to feel some of the impact, too. After his statements and subsequent public reaction, three advertisers, including two mattress companies, pulled their ads from his radio program.

Although he apologized, in the same statement the fiery radio host called Fluke's testimony before a mock Congressional hearing "absurd."

"I think it is absolutely absurd that during these very serious political times, we are discussing personal sexual recreational activities before members of Congress," he wrote, but he added: "I chose the wrong words in my analogy of the situation. I did not mean a personal attack on Ms. Fluke."

On his radio show on February 29, Limbaugh elevated the debate to the next level when he said: "What does it say about the college co-ed Sandra Fluke, who goes before a congressional committee and essentially says that she must be paid to have sex? What does that make her?"

"It makes her a slut, right? It makes her a prostitute."

"She wants to be paid to have sex," Limbaugh continued on his radio program. "She's having so much sex she can't afford the contraception."

The point Limbaugh said he was trying to make was that taxpayers' dollars should not be used for contraception coverage.

Limbaugh was referring to Fluke's testimony before the Democrat-organized mock hearing after being cut from the witness list by Republican leadership at an official hearing on the president's recent decision to require insurance companies provide contraception coverage for employees of religious-affiliated institutions.

Her testimony did not talk about sex at the hearing but discussed the importance of birth control coverage for Georgetown University Law School students for family planning and health reasons."